YOUTH BASEBALL: Waynesboro teams to compete in state championships

This weekend the baseball fields at Clayton Avenue might be quiet, but the teams that call these fields home will be making noise all over the state.

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Waynesboro Record Herald - Waynesboro, PA

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Posted Jul. 11, 2013 at 12:00 PM

Posted Jul. 11, 2013 at 12:00 PM

This weekend the baseball fields at Clayton Avenue might be quiet, but the teams that call these fields home will be making noise all over the state.

This year will be the first year that the 8U, 10U and 12U teams will all be playing in the Cal Ripken PA State Championship Baseball Tournaments. Waynesboro has hosted these tournaments many times in the past, but this year will be traveling to Spring City, Douglasville and yes Wyalusing.

This year will mark the first year that the 8U team has played in the state tournament. Having qualified the past two years, the team elected not to travel and continue on the tournament path. This year manager John Steiger and coaches Scott Shaffer and Mike Helm left no doubt that if the team qualified they would move on. After a long battle that included winning the first championship game and forcing a deciding game, the team could not pull off the second win and will be traveling to Spring City as the runners-up from District 8.

Second year 10U manager Ralph Miller and coaches Pat Reed and Brian Jacobs took to the fields the last weekend in June and left little doubt that they would be competing in the 10U State tournament this weekend in Douglasville.

The 10U team won the district championship at the Clayton Avenue fields and sent the 10U team the state championship tournament to continue a long streak of qualifying. The 10U’s have competed at the state tournament for at least the last five years and have a good record of making it out of pool play and into the semifinal games.

Second year 12U manager Troy Witte and coaches Dan McCleaf and Dwayne Burhman also took to the Clayton Avenue fields for districts and stamped their ticket to the state tournament after winning the District 8 title.

Having lost an early game to Perry County, Witte’s team found its rhythm and never looked back. Waynesboro will be traveling to Wyalusing to play for the 12U PA State Championship.

If the team is successful, it will not be the first time Witte is part of a state championship team with Waynesboro. Many of the senior members of the Waynesboro Area Senior High School varsity baseball team were part of a championship team that competed in Delaware many years ago. Waynesboro was eliminated in a close game by a team that went on to win the World Series that year. The 12U Waynesboro teams have historically been annual competitors in the state championship tournament.

All three teams have a shot at continuing to the Mid-Atlantic Regional tournaments hosted in either Great Kills, N,Y, or North Colonie, N.Y. and here at our own fields in Waynesboro. This year Waynesboro will be welcoming seven state champions to play for a chance to move on to the 12U World Series in Hammond, Ind. The tournament will take place from July 25-28.

Page 2 of 2 - “Hosting this tournament was made possible by an extremely generous donation by Buchanan Auto Stores,” said Steiger, president of Waynesboro Youth League. “Curtis Mummert and his company Buchanan Auto Stores stepped up early to help the Waynesboro secure the funds to host this prestigious tournament. Without this support and that of others from the community, such quality baseball would not be visiting the Waynesboro area.”

Rosters

The players representing Waynesboro this weekend at the Cal Ripken State Tournaments are:

If you are looking for a baseball game this week, there are two more Waynesboro teams in action.

There is a 12U team playing in Mercersburg. Some of the highlights include back to back game grand slams by Noah Litzinger and a home run by Kurt Biesecker. The team is being led by Waynesboro’s own Josh Mummert.

Tim Martin is also coaching a 10U team that is playing this week at Pen Mar. Martin’s team is just getting their tournament season started and will be playing in another tournament later this month.